Return to Earth
by Kwantum
Summary: John returns to earth, reconnects with a few old friends, and sets off to start a new life.
1. Chapter 1

It had taken Cortana months to find a way to get them back to earth and years to execute her plan. He still remembered his glorious entrance as the only time of embarrassment. He wasn't sure what he expected, cheers? awed silence? Lord Hood patting him on the back saying "glad to see you back 117, we need you" Or maybe the place was crawling with flood from the other halo rings and he's salvage the last of humanity. Whatever it was, he didn't expect the old UNSC head quarters being converted into a family museum with a playground in the back.

After getting up from his orbital jump, he dusted himself off and vividly remembered the little girl with pink ribbons in her hair that fell off the swing scream as shrilly as a grunt and ran back to her shaking mother. Everyone seemed genuinely terrified of him when a tall skinny boy around the age of ten with glasses thicker than Tartarus's skull clear his throat and say with exasperation,

"Doesn't anybody pay attention to the actual exhibits or do you people only come here for the gift shop? It's a spartan, not something to end humanity."

While John rather disliked being referred to as "it" (in the boy's defense, the armor does give off a very inhuman vibe) he seemed to be the only ally in the premises.

Holding out his hand to the boy, and trying his hardest to not crush his fingers when he took it, John asked,

"Do you know if Lord Hood's on earth? I need to speak with him."

"No sir, he's off trying overseeing the repopulation of the outer colonies."

Sir, John missed that

"Then do you know, who's in charge? I've been away for a long time and I need to-"

"Spartan!"

He turned to see the Arbiter sprinting towards him, his mandibles bouncing with what appeared to be glee as he embraced his er...friend...

Taken aback, John awkwardly returned the hug

_Arbiter hugging? Things certainly have changed_

"You're back!" exclaimed the elite, "it has been far too long! Words cannot expressed my joy in seeing you alive! I never doubted your return!"

"Nice to see you too," replied John, still taken off guard, "civilian life seems to suit you well, you seem...happy"

Thel's eyes widened, then answered in a softer tone,

"Oh no, I'm bored out of my skull. However, things tend to go exhilaratingly wrong around you so now that you're back we can hunt down some action. I've spent the last nine years being a walking exhibit. I can't go buy groceries without a human child or unggoy asking me no short of a thousand redundant questions. Though R'tas is worse off, he got forced into politics and is negotiating some treaty or something in Shanghelios."

John had never heard his er...friend talk so much. He was sure that Thel had said more words to him in the last minute than he ever had in all the time that they knew each other during the human-covenant war.

"Well, I'll be sure to find something insanely dangerous and stupid for us to do, but first I need to talk to...someone..."

"Yes, I think I know who you can talk to, I've been bugging him to give me something more interesting to do than giving tours to visiting Shangheli for ages now."

before John could respond, Thel's four fingered hand took his five fingered one and was dragging him into the bowels of the familiar fortress.

_Thel really has changed, I wonder if all the elites have warmed up, of just the one who can't look at a torch without his mandibles shaking out of control._

Before he realized where Thel was taking him, they reached their final destination. John stopped in front of the pristine office door, the polished nameplate reading,

FRANKLIN MENDEZ

in sharp plain black letters. John grinned inwardly, just by the feel of the door, he knew that his mentor hasn't changed in the slightest.

"You knock" said Thel, suddenly quite as though they were in a rather strict library, "I don't think he likes me."

John nodded in agreement somewhat nervously, took a deep breath, and knocked. A deep gruff voice barked from the other side of the door.

"Thel, if I told you once I've told you a thousand times, stop complaining about your life. You're lucky you weren't one of my spartan II's or I would've had you mandibles electrocuted."

Thel only shot John an "I told you he hates me" look and gestured to the door.

After a moment's hesitation, Mendez's voice boomed out again with a little less frustration and a little more affection,

"alright get in here, it's not like I have anything important to do anymore, but make it quick."

Thel took a bit step back to emphasize the fact that John was the only one going in and motioned again to the door.

Taking another deep breath, John took off his helmet and walked in with as much conviction as he could.

"Sir, I'm back"


	2. Chapter 2

John would like to believe that his old father figure's face held shock, joy, and relief. Unfortunately, Mendez was Mendez...Instead of a tearful reunion, an enthusiastic hand shake, or even a hug, he got a brief grunt of recognition and an offer so sit down.

"Might I inquire about the meaning behind your unexpected visit?"

"Quite frankly, I'm back...I'm bored...Thel's driving you insane...we need something to do."

"Sure, you keep Thel away from me, and your construct can keep 343 busy."

John was slightly crestfallen at the new line of work that he was being directed towards, Mendez must've caught on to his disappointment for he added,

"However, if anything comes up you two'll be the first to know."

"Thank you sir, you were saying about 343..."

"Yes, well in short he's back. We, along with the shangheli were able to salvage enough to rebuild him."

"To what purpose?"

"It was the unanimous decision that the remaining halo rings were too dangerous to be left intact. The fact that they may very well destroy the galaxy put aside, they also contained enough flood spores to end sentient life as it is. 343 is helped us not only locate them, but build the means to destroy them."

"So they're destroyed."

"Yes John, you cannot go on an epic quest to destroy the rings."

John sighed

_it was worth a shot_

"So, you're sure that he won't go rampant and go on a killing spree again, right?"

"We're sure that now the rings are gone, his overprotective sense of duty is gone with them, though he has developed a rather unhealthy fixation with rings."

"Just clearing things up, I guess that I'll be on my way?"

"Yes, goodbye John, make your planet proud."

"It was nice seeing you again, I guess now you have Thel off your back."

Mendez grumbles incoherently, though John did pick out a resentful

"were it so easy"


End file.
